Control device for helically fed wires, strips, tubes, etc.



March 9, 1965 w. J. MANSON 3,172,615

CONTROL DEVICE FOR HELICALLY FED WIRES, STRIPS, TUBES, ETC.

Filed Feb. 4, 1963 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WalferJ Mo nson WWW ATTORNEYS.

March 9, 1965 w. J. MANSON CONTROL DEVICE FOR HELICALLY FED WIRES, STRIPS, TUBES, ETC.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 4, 1963 FIG.2

lNl/E/VTOR. WaHer'J. Manson FIG.3

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,172,615 CONTROL DEVICE FOR HELICALLY FED WIRES, STRIPS, TUBES, ETC.

Walter J. Manson, Niles, Mich, assignor to National- Standard Company, Niles, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 255,839 3 Claims. (Cl. 242-83) This invention relates to a control device for helically fed wires, strips, tubes, etc., more particularly it relates to a means for controlling the speed of movement of a helically fed wire, etc., where the diameter of the helical wire is changed while it is being fed.

In US. Patent No. 2,994,490 of August 1, 1961, entitled High Capacity Wire Collecting Device, there is described an apparatus for collecting wire which has been treated as it is fed in the form of an advancing helix while supported on two horizontal rotating rollers; in order to treat the wire while in the form of a helix of relatively small diameter but collect it in a bundle of large diameter, the wire of the helix is compressed between the pair of supporting rollers to expand the diameter of the helix just before collecting it. It has been found in the operation of the device of said patent, that the effective diameter of the top rolls which determines the speed of the wire helix being supported is not the same when the pressure is applied as when pressure is not applied to the wire and that the pressing of the wire to expand the diameter of the helix usually tends to cause the wire helix to expand slightly in the coils in back of the pressure applying means so that from time to time a manual adjustment involving stopping the machine must be made to correct this undesired change in the diameter of the smaller helical coil section.

Among the other objects of the invention is to provide means for compensating for the variation in the stoppage factor in a device for changing the diameter of an advancing wire helix while supported on two or more horizontal supporting rollers; still another object of the invention is to provide such a compensating means which can be varied in accordance with the conditions of the surface of the wire without stopping the movement of the helical wire.

These and other objects are attained by providing a sleeve for one or both "of the horizontal supporting rollers in the region of said rollers between the last small diameter coil and the first large diameter coil of the wire or strip being treated. This sleeve is fixed to the roller and slightly enlarges the diameter thereof so that the effective surface speed of the roller which contacts the wire helix is greater than in the absence of the sleeve. Preferably the sleeve has a frustoconical surface of low pitch so that changing the portion thereof where the wire of said helix contacts the sleeve will increase the surface speed of the region in contact with the wire. With the sleeve having a frustoconical surface, means are provided to select the area thereof which the wire 'of the helix will contact. The position of the wire is determined primarily by the position of the compressing pulley which is located between two supporting rollers and bears down on the wire from outside the helix to increase the radius of curvature 'of the wire passing under the said pulley. Therefore, the position of the wire with respect to the surface of the sleeve can be determined by moving the sleeve and/ or the compressing pulley axially with respect to each other.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, a specific example thereof will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a wire treating and collecting machine incorporating this invention.

3,172,615 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 FIG. 2 is a detail view of the sleeve device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of the coil compressing pulley of FIG. 1.

In the machine shown wire or similar material is treated in a plurality of baths 11, 12, 13, 14, etc., while in the form of a relatively small helix 10. While being treated and up to the time the wire is collected, the helices 10 and 10' are supported on a pair of horizontal rollers 20 and 21 which are positioned above the baths 11-14. After emerging from the last bath 14, the wire subsequently passes over roller 20 then under compressing pulley 30 and then over supporting roller 21. Compressing pulley 30 is adjustable vertically (-by means such as will be described in connection with FIG. 3) to expand the helix to the form 10'. This much of the apparatus is similar to that disclosed in US. 2,994,490.

Although pulley 30 is fitted with ball bearings 31 and is made as frictionless as possible, it has been found that a horizontal component of force exists, tending to push the coil 10 backward and to thus expand the coil 10 immediately preceding the first enlarged coil 10'. In order to compensate for this undesired horizontal component of force introduced by pulley 30, the sleeve 40 is provided. Thus the sleeve 40 increases the eifective diameter of roller 20 and tends to increase the speed of the Wire contacting the same. The sleeve 40 is fixed to roller 21 in any desired way by welding, keying, set screws, or even by a tight frictional fit obtained by shrinking the heated sleeve onto a relatively cool roller 20. In the sleeve 40 shown in detail in FIG. 2, the sleeve 40 comprises rims 41 and 42 at the ends of the wire contacting area 43. Threaded openings 44 are provided in the rims 41 and 42 for set screws to fix the position of said sleeve 40 on the supporting roller 20 or 21. As more apparent in FIG. 2, the wire contacting surface 43 of sleeve 40 is frustoconical in shape so that movement of the contacting wire axially with respect to the sleeve surface 43 changes the surface speed of portion which actually contacts the Wire.

.As already indicated, a sleeve 40 can be added to roller 20 or to roller 21 or to both rollers. Also, in order to adjust the position of helix 10 with respect to the surface of the sleeve 40, the sleeve can be moved axially on the roller 20 or 21 with respect to the compressing pulley 30 or the compressing pulley 30 may be moved axially with respect to the sleeve. In the device shown, the compressing pulley 30 has been mounted for axial movement.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the compressing pulley 30 is mounted in a bearing block 32, and the bearing block 32 is mounted for vertical movement in the upright 33. Screw shaft 34 and knob 35 are provided for manually adjusting the vertical position of bearing block 32. The upright 33 is supported on a block 36 with the aid of the brace 37. Tracks 38, 39 for the block 36 are supported on the cross piece 17 extending across the side rails 15 and 16. A separate cross piece 51 containing the threaded opening 52 supports the intermediate portion of the threaded shaft 51. One end of shaft 51 contains the actuating knob 53 and the other end is rotatably mounted in the shaft 55 which is attached to brace 37. A nut 54 for fixing the position of the screw shaft 51 with respect to cross bar 50 is provided. Thus, rotation of shaft 51 through knob 53 moves pulley 30 axially with respect to said tracks 38, 39, and thus with respect to said sleeve 40.

The expanded helix 10 may be fed from the end of rollers 20, 21 over rotating guide means 22, 23 and onto the collecting platform 24 which is rotated 'on a vertical axis. The collecting platform 24 is at least equal in diameter to the diameter of the enlarged helical coil 10.

While it is understood that the invention will not be limited by a discussion of the theory of operation of the d device, it is believed that the following explanation may be helpful in understanding this invention. The problem arises from the indeterminateeffective diameter of the top rolls 20 and 21 with respect to their ability to determine the speed of wire travel; By applying pressure, to deform and enlarge the coil'diameter, against a portion'of the frustoconical surface of device 40, an exact speed of travel isimparted to the wire. Thefrustoconical surface of the sleeve 40 allows for positioning the wire coil against a diameter at some point along its length which matches Once this position is found, the diameter of thecoils preceding exactly the elfective diameter of" the top rolls.

the pressure roller remains constant. Automatic methods, controlled by servo-mechanisms for example, can

be used to change the wire position in' response to a signal from the coil diameter immediatelypreceding the pressure pulley 30.

The features and principles underlying the invention described above in connection with specific exemplifications will suggest to those skilled in the artmany other modifications thereof. It is accordingly desired that the appended'claims shall" not be limitedto any specific feature or details thereof.

I claim:

1. In a device for continuously treating linear material while being continuously fed in the form of a rotating and travelinghelix with a horizontal axis,

a pair of horizontally spaced, parallel, horizontal sup-- porting rollers for storing and suspending a series of coils of said traveling helix from the interior thereof,

coil pressure means,

means for mounting the coil pressure means between corresponding adjacent portions of said parallel, horizontal supporting rollers,

said coil pressure means being substantially frictionless and being positioned to press the outer portion of a coil of said helix passing over said parallel supporting rollers, and sleeve means extending around and secured to one ofsaid parallel supporting rollers adapted to increase the diameter thereof to prevent the enlargement of said coil immediately preceding the coil pressure means.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1,

said sleeve means being formed with a frustoconical outer surface,

means for mounting at least one of said sleeve and coil pressure means for'movement axially with respcct'to the 'otherwhereby the region of contact of' the coil'of said helix with the frustoconical surface References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kenmore Dec. 9, 1958 Manson Aug. 1, 1961 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING LINEAR MATERIAL WHILE BEING CONTINUOUSLY FED IN THE FORM OF A ROTATING AND TRAVELING HELIX WITH A HORIZONTAL AXIS, A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED, PARALLEL, HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING ROLLERS FOR STORING AND SUSPENDING A SERIES OF COILS OF SAID TRAVELING HELIX FROM THE INTERIOR THEREOF, COIL PRESSURE MEANS, MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE COIL PRESSURE MEANS BETWEEN CORRESPONDING ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID PARALLEL, HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING ROLLERS, SAID COIL PRESSURE MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FRICTIONLESS AND BEING POSITIONED TO PRESS THE OUTER PORTION OF A COIL OF SAID HELIX PASSING OVER SAID PARALLEL SUPPORTING ROLLERS, AND SLEEVE MEANS EXTENDING AROUND AND SECURED TO ONE OF SAID PARALLEL SUPPORTING ROLLERS ADAPTED TO INCREASE THE DIAMETER THEREOF TO PREVENT THE ENLARGEMENT OF SAID COIL IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE COIL PRESSURE MEANS. 